Drum cleaning machine



Filed March l0, 1959 NGL 5 R Y D mm m WL D .L 2 Vl o .|15 mrU.. u m ne G aaA l O G q L- \l|| m l O H 0 O 5 D United States Patent() DRUM 'CLEANING MACHINE Robert G. Cuillier, North Hollywood, Calif. (931 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles 46, Calif.)

Filed Mar. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 798,412

3 Claims (Cl. 134-107) This invention relates generally to machines for cleaning garbage can drums and the like, and more particularly to such a machine in which the drum is spun about a vertical axis while both inner and outer surfaces are scoured and rinsed with many jets of hot cleaning liquid.

Restaurants, hotels, hospitals and similar large residential institutions have a very dicult problem of maintaining sanitary conditions in their kitchen areas because of the huge volume of garbage which must be temporarily stored near such an area prior to its removal. The tonnage of garbage delivered by a medium sized restaurant is so great that mechanical disposal means or incinerators are not satisfactory.

Moreover, the older food particles which accumulate on the surfaces of the garbage cans may be retained there for a period of time corresponding to several garbage collection periods, and by decaying, develop powerful odors in the immediate vicinity of the food preparation area.

When the garbage cans or containers have accumulated even small quantities of residual waste material, which remains after a garbage collection, their powerful odor attracts a swarm of -ies even after the garbage has been collected, thus creating a severe danger of the spread of disease by the insects.

To combat these problems of unsanitary conditions, bad odor, and insect attraction, most modern restaurant facilities are compelled to clean the garbage containers, even after they have been emptied, by means of hoses, insecticide sprays, etc. In addition, there has been some relatively primitive advancement in the direction of servicing restaurant facilities by truck-carried tanks of spraying equipment.

The truck-carried or portable equipment is essential because it is not economically sound for most restaurant facilities to maintain large and cumbersome devices at the site of use at al1 times, not only because of economics, but also because of space and mechanical maintenance problems.

However, most truck transported and stationary garbage can cleaning means have left the major part of the hard work to manual labor. The operators must physically handle the iilthy drums and work over both their internal and external surfaces with hose sprays.

Another disadvantage of the sy'stems heretofore known, is that the filthy eiiluence of cleaning Water and entrained garbage is usually discharged at the site, often into an overloaded sewer where the accumulating garbage particles eventually create a problem.

-Another disadvantage of the waste of the discharge water is that powerful and valuable insecticides, soaps, and deodorizing materials are thereby lost after a single use, although they might be powerful enough to be suitable for several cleanings.

lt is the major object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing and other problems by means of a portable garbage container cleaner, suitable for mounting on a truck body, which can clean the drums by rnotor driven means and without manual handling except for loading the drum before cleaning and removing it from the machine after cleaning.

t It is another major object of theinvention to provide ICC a garbage drum cleaning machine in which the cleaning liquid, including all soaps, insecticides, and deodorants, can be recycled to the mechanical cleaning means until its strength is entirely used and exhausted.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a mechanical garbage drum cleaning means which is sufliciently llexible in structure to receive drums which vary slightly in size because of variation in manufacture or because of damage experienced during the rough handling to which such containers are frequently subjected.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will best be understood from the following detailed description of one specie embodiment of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a plan sectional view of the described embodiment of the invention, the plane of the section being taken approximately at the plane indicated by the numerals 1-1 in Figure 2; and

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view as viewed at a plane through the lines indicated by the numerals 2--2 in Figure 1.

ln Figure l, the drum cleaning machine, indicated generally by the arrow 10 is seen to be comprised principally of a cylindrical drum cleaning tank 1l which is nested into a cleaning liquid reservoir 12.

A portable gasoline engine 13 is tted in closely at the right side of the tank 11 and drives a pump 14 and a sprocket 15 mounted on a power shaft 16 to operate other parts of the machine 10, as will be described in detail hereinafter.

The operator may conveniently stand beside both the cleaning tank 11 and the engine 13 and reach the control handle 17 by means of which he may operate a l clutch 18 for connecting or disconnecting the power shaft 16 to the engine 13. i

As seen in Figure 2, the cleaning tank 11 is supported at a somewhat higher elevation than the liquid reservoir 12 by means of a framework of angle iron 20, and the bottom region of the container ll is in open communiction with the interior of the reservoir 12 through a liquid return opening 2l.

The reservoir 12 contains a cleaning liquid as indicated at 22 which is preferably a water solution of a strong liquid soap or detergent, some powerful insecticide such as DDT or chlorodane, a commercial deodorant, and a small amount of pine oil or the like to impart a pleasant odor to the cleaned garbage drums.

The uppensurface of the liquid 22 must not be so high as to impede the spraying operation which takes place inside the cleaning tank 11, and which will be described hereinafter.

The liquid 22 may be drained away by means of the drain valve 23 when the efficacy of theliquid is exhausted.

Preferably, the truck carries a butane -fuel tank which is connected to gas burner supply line 24 and supplies burners 25 and 26, seen in dashed outline in Figure l, and in end view in Figure 2, which burners, when lighted, are sufficient to raise the liquid 22 to or very near the boiling point.

The pump 14 withdraws cleaning liquid from the reservoir 12 by way of an intake line 30, and delivers it under pressure of 60 or more pounds per square inch to a pressure discharge line 31, for delivery to the various spray lines to be described hereinafter.

The intake line 30 is provided with a strainer 32 at the intake in the reservoir 12, but inevitably, many hard chunks of garbage particles pass through the pump. Not only must the pump 14 be of a type which can withstand y the passage of some `solid materials, but the discharge line 31 and parts of the apparatus downstream from it must be protected against the possibility of clogging and" development of over pressure in the discharge line 31.

Consequently, .a'bypass ,lineis provided for returningA thecleaning liquid directly,. from the pump-dischargerto the. reservoir 12, byway of a safety valve 34; whenever the pressure in dischargeline 14 exceeds-a predeterminedl safevalue.`

The extremelyeicientcleaning achievedby the invention is accomplished by spinning the garbagedrum. invaninverted position withinthe drum cleaning tank 11, as indicated in Figure 2, while scouring and rinsing both` itsainternal and external surfaces withpowerfuljets of.l

hot and steaming cleaning liquid.

Aheavy bearing 40V is welded to .the underside of theV bottorrrof the tank 11, and a short, vertically disposed hollowshaft 41 is rotatably mounted therein. yIt is irnportantto provide good liquid seals 42y and 43 to prevent unwanted leakage of liquid from within the cleaning,

tanky 11 to the work floor44, where it would wet the feet of the operator and make the work oor dangerously.

slippery. Y

The hollow shaft 41 has a suitable upper shoulder 45" to holdvit in position, and has a bevel gear 46 keyedv and fastened to its lowerand externalend.

A small bevel pinion 47 is rotatably supported in a:

bracket 48 on the bottom ofthe-tank 11, and. rotates with a small sprocket 49-Which is driven through a chain v50 (see Figure l) by sprocket 15 on power shaft 16, as already described.

n the upper portion thereof, the hollow shaft 41, inside the lower part of the drum cleaning tank 11, carries at its upper end a set of resilient gripping means, indi# cated generally by the numeral 51, for firmly holding the,

inverted garbage drum, indicated by the phantom lines,

cord -bars -are omitted from the illustration yof Figure 2 for purposes of clarity.

It willbe seen that the resilient construction of theV retaining means 51 will grip the `interior surface of garbagedrums whichvarysubstantially in sizefrom the preferred standard. on. the device by simply invertingit onto Vthe cord supporting bars 59 and retaining. it thereon by -means of the, engagement between ,the resilient spring `ngers 58 and itsv external surface.

The. hot liquidis delivered inv sprays to the Vsurfaces ofthe` drum' 52 by way of-an internal axial spray line` 61 and an external spray line 62. An internal scouringv spray line 63 is also provided for purposes. to be -described hereinafter. The hot liquid under pressure lows from the pressure line 31 to thevalve 64 (seeFigure l), and.is delivered from that point to .two horizontal pipes.A 65.`

and 66. Y

Supply pipe 65 is connected to an elbow 67 which dis-- charges upwardly' through the vertically disposed axial spray line61, which is supportedr at -elbow..67 so. as.to stand free and stationary within the hollowshaft 41- At its upper and lower endg-the` axial sprayline is provided with radial lines 68 and 69 which deliver-liquid` tothe scouring line 631 Preferably, the line 61`gis broken byy a plumbers coupling.70.to make aeasy-assembly vand disassembly.

A-row Vof Yine -oriiic'ie'hole'sv 71 extends :vertically the.v entire-length of axial line 61,i and projects a heavy 1spray= Indeed, a smallerdrum maybe cleaned Y.

4. of rinsing liquid against the interior surface of the drum 52.' The upper radial line 68, and its associated elbows 72 and 73 are also pierced with holes to provide spray cleaning for the inverted interior bottom of the garbage drum S2.

A vertical row of iine orifice holes 74 is provided along the outer surfceeoffthe. scouring line 631V It will be seen thatthe scouringgline 63. is much closer to the internal surfaceofthe'drum 52` than is the Naxiallrinsing line 61; andis thus able to deliver a moreviolent scouring spray. This; scouring-,action maybe: accentuated, if desired, by makingthe holes 74 somewhat smaller in diameter than the holes71; The vscouring line 63 and the axial line 61 thus coact to subject the interior cylindr'ical surface ofthe drum 52 to Van alternate sharpy scour. ing4 jet'and a heavy ooding and ,rinsing jet.

Preferably, a shielding baffle 75 encircles the lowerend" of theaxial line 61 to preventexcessive ow ofiwater from being directed.downwardly intothe hollow shaft" 41V through the opening, in the/ center of the'disc`551.

2, vertical spray line 62 is` provided with a vertical row of orifice openings 76 Ywhich spray the entirevertical length' of the external surface of the drum 52.

Valve 64 is a three-way selector valve by whichfthe operator can direct liquid to bothv inner and outer sprays, or all to either line 65 or 66.

It'will be understood, that more than one vertical row' of spray holes 71, 74 and 76 may be provided, and that" these spray holes do not necessarily have to be in a perfect vertical row.

Whenthe operator throwsthe` machine'fintoioperation byl throwing operating leverA 17, the pump'14si-` multaneously begins. to deliver the.. heavy scouring andk rinsing sprays to `th'e interior and Yexterior'surfaces'of the drum-52,` las indicated generallyby the spray jets. 77, and atthe same time, sprocketlS and .themechanism connected therewith, rapidly rotates the. spinning` tablev surroundedwithfa, sealing .means comprised of a.ring

channel 84 containing a neoprene O-ring or othersgase ket.means 85` to: seal the. interior of the .cleaning tank lItwillobe noted.. that by nesting Vthe tank llintorthereservoir-12,. as illustrated in the preferred specic-.em-r

bodimentofy the. invention, great structural'strength is` achieved*,and--thesentire system-is reinforced against vibrationf produced. by spinning.

Moreover,- tfhe nesting constructionv 'makes it fpossi-l ble-to returnthefcleaning, liquid,..togetherwith all `the entrained garbage Yparticles directly through.- the -large opening 21 to the reservoir12, .thus eliminating lany-possibility of'v clogging ay return line with large particles;`

However,VV it yis -notto be understood that myinventio'rris .confined to the details fof the specific embodiment. illustrated in the drawings 'and described 'in detail'here.- in; Itv willfbe: obvious to those-skilled 'in theV art"of constructing similar machines "that many simplifications;` or elaborations; or alterations-for different purposes,V may be madetinfthefdevioe'without `departing fromxthe. spirit andgscope ofrthe invention :as :described land; de-Y ned= rinzthe 'appended claims.:

I claim:

'1: A? drumcleaningzumachine awhieh includes :a faadrum cleaning tank having an opening at the top; a vertically disposed hollow shaft rotatably mounted in the bottom of said tank; a Spinnin-g table mounted on the upper end of said hollow shaft and rotatable therewith, and having a central opening communicating with the interior of said shaft; resilient cylindrical leaf spring members extending horizontally from said spinning table near the perimeter thereof; vertical spring members extending upwardly from lthe unsupported ends of said cylindrical leaf spring members; motor means for driving said hollow shaft to rotate said table; a pump means including strainer intake means and a high pressure discharge line; an axial spray line connected to said high pressure discharge line and extending vertically upward through said hollow shaft and the opening in said spinning table to the upper part of said drum cleaning tank, said axial spray line having spray orifice openings extending from its lower to its upper end for delivering cleaning liquid from said pressure discharge line to the interior surfaces of a drum inverted and mounted on said spinning table; a scouring spray line vertically disposed above said spinning table and supported by and connected to said axial spray line, but at a line much closer to the location of the internal surface of a drum carried on said spinning table than said axial spray line, said scouring spray line being provided with orifice openings throughout its length, said orifice openings being smaller than the openings in said axial spray line and adapted to project a scour ing jet on the internal surface of a drum mounted on said spinning t-able; an external spray line vertically disposed in said drum cleaning tankat a radius external to the radius of said spinning table and of a drum mounted thereon, and connected to said pressure discharge line, said external spray line having discharge openings along its entire length from the locality of the spinning table to the upper end of said tank, said openings being oriented toward the location of the external surface of la drum mounted on said spinning table; and heated reservoir means connected ot deliver cleaning fluid to said pump intake and receiving return flow from the lower end of said tank.

2. A drum cleaning machine which includes: a drum cleaning tank having an opening at the top; a vertically disposed hollow shaft rotatably mounted in the bottom of said tank; a spinning table mounted on the upper end of said hollow shaft and rotatable therewith, and having a central opening communicating with the interior of said shaft; resilient cylindrical leaf spring members extending horizontally from said spinning table near the perimeter thereof; vertical spring members extending upwardly from the unsupported ends of said cylindrical leaf spring members; bevel gear means at the lower end of said hollow shaft for rotatably driving said shaft; motor means including a power shaft; sprocket and chain means on said power shaft for driving said hollow shaft through said hollow shaft gear means; a pump means driven by said power shaft, said power means including strainer intake means and a high pressure discharge line; an axial spray line connected to said high pressure discharge line and extending vertically upward through said hollow shaft and the opening in said spinning table to the upper part of said drum cleaning tank, said axial spray line having spray orifice openings extending from its lower to its upper end for delivering cleaning liquid from said pressure discharge line to the interior surfaces of a drum inverted and mounted on said spinning table; a scouring spray line vertically disposed above said spinning table and supported by and connected to said axial spray line, but at a line much closer to the location of the internal surface of a drum carried onsaid spinning table than said axial spray line, said scouring spray line being provided with orifice openings throughout its length, said Aoriice openings being smaller than the openings in said axial spray line and adapted to project a scouring jet on the internal surface of a drum mounted on said spinning table; an external spray line vertically disposed in said drum cleaning tank at a radius external to the radius of said spinning table and of a drum mounted thereon, and connected -to said pressure discharge line, said external spray line having discharge openings along its entire length from the locality of the spinning table ,to the upper end of said tank, said openings being oriented toward the location of the external surface of a drum mounted on said spinning table; heated reservoir means mounted on the external surface of said drum cleaning tank, at an elevation downwardly displaced from said tank, and having open communication With the lower end of said tank, and communicating with said pump means through said strainer intake means.

3. A drum cleaning machine which includes: a drum cleaning tank having an opening at the top; a vertically disposed hollow shaft rotatably mounted in the bottom of said tank; a spinning table mounted on the upper end of said hollow shaft and rotatable therewith, and having a central opening communicating with the interior of said shaft; resilient cylindrical leaf spring members extending horizontally from said spinning table near the perimeter thereof; vertical spring members extending upwardly from the unsupported ends of said cylindrical leaf spring members; bevel gear means at the lower end of said hollow shaft for rotatably driving said shaft; motor means including a power shaft; sprocket and chain means on said power shaft for driving said hollow shaft through said hollow shaft gear means; a pump means driven by said power shaft, said power means including strainer intake means and a'high pressure discharge line; an Vaxial spray line connected to said high pressure discharge line and extending vertically upward through said hollow shaft and the opening in said spinning table to the upper part of said drum cleaning tank, said spray line having spray orifice openings extending from its lower to its upper end for delivering cleaning liquid from said pressure discharge line to the interior surfaces of a drum inverted and mounted on said spinning table; -a scouring spray line vertically disposed above said spinning table and supported by and connected to said axial spray line, but at a line much closer to the location of the internal surface of a drum carried on said spinning table than said axial spray line, `said scouring spray line being provided with orifice openings throughout its length, said orifice openings being smaller than the openings in said axial spray line and adapted to project a scouring jet on the internal surface of a drum mounted on said spinning table; Ian external spray line vertically disposed in said drum cleaning tank at a radius external to the radius of said spimiing table and of a drum mounted thereon, and connected to said pressure discharge line, said external spray line having discharge openings along its entire `length from the locality of the spinning table to the upper end of said tank, said openings being oriented toward the location of the external surface of a drum mounted on said spinning table; heated reservoir means mounted on the external surface of said drum cleaning tank, at an elevation downwardly displaced from said tank, and having open communication with the lower end of said tank, and communicating with said pump means through said strainer intake means; and safety valve means connecting said pressure discharge line from said pump with said heated reservoir means and adapted to recycle liquid directly from said pump discharge to said reservoir whenever said discharge pressure exceeds a predetermined value.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,215,411 Sebring Sept. 17, 1940 2,228,684 Barnum Jan. 14, 1941 2,546,797 Swisher Mar. 27, 1951 2,764,171 Nolte Sept. 25, 1956 

